May 2-9, 2023 We stayed at Royal Decameron.
Lara, my special needs sister, was the purpose for this trip. Usually Case will not leave the business in the very busy spring season. But as the date drew near, my siblings dropped out for various reasons. That left my sister, Sylvia on her own with Lara. So I said to Case, "We have to go". It proved to be a wonderful holiday. Towards the end of it, as we were walking back to our rooms at the resort, Lara gave a tug on Case's arm to stop. The she said, "You know what? I'm so happy!" That made it all worth it.
We had to find a way to keep Case occupied as we were waiting to board our plane. He used to watch 0-Sneer in the mornings before work, when our children were young.
Arrived May 2. Sunset was at 7:20pm.
The warm ocean infront of our resort. One of the days was particularly windy and had a very strong undertow.
May 3 - Wednesday
While eating breakfast at the Flamingo buffet, we saw this pod of dolphins in the distance, hanging around a person on a boogie board.
The gardens at the resort.
One of two humongous ficus trees.
Almost every morning Case & I would go on a 2-hour beach walk. It took me a few days to get used to the warm climate. This large bay was lined with resorts. Puerto Vallarta is located at the south end of it.
At first I was dissappointed in our room. There was no fridge or coffee maker and the furniture looked chipped and worn down. But the airconditioner worked and the beds were nice and hard. This was very important for Case with his bad back.
The middle plant is growing a pineapple.
The second humongous ficus tree is beside the reception area.
The view from our room.
Thus our first full day at the resort drew to a close. We'd organized two tours for the upcoming week, reserved restaurants at the resort, got our feel of the layout and just taken it easy after a 6.5 hour flight the day before.
May 4 - Thursday
Lara had done so well the day prior with walking & swimming (she has an inoperable tumor on her spine). But this day we didn't get far before she was needing to sit and rest. Bucerias is the first town north of our resort. We beach-walked there twice.
Case paying penitence.
A sketchy electrical system and the bright vibrant colors reminiscent of Mexico.
On our way to the beach we stopped at this streetside cafe. This part of Mexico is known for its coffee. The plants grow for up to 100 years. The longer they roast the coffee, the less caffiene it contains.
Back at the entrance to the resort.
Monkey Mt. hike: 2 hours / 330m gain
I'm not often afraid on a hike but a few things happened that caused my blood pressure to jump. First of all, I did not bring a GPS because Case told me Alfredo knew the way and would be our guide. Not so. He barely knew English so there was a misunderstanding. Also, we had to wait till his work shift ended at 5:00pm (at the bar in the resort) so we got a late start. Good for missing the heat of the day, but bad for timing.
Iguanas like to have their nests high up on these thorny trees, to keep them away from predators.
The last bit was scrambly. As I approached the summit, a coatimundis dashed away from me.
Made it to the summit barely in time to see the sun setting.
On the way back, dark was closing in and Case's phone battery was low. I always take a head-light in my pack but had left it behind in our room because I used it for reading. In the forest it was even darker, keeping us from the dim light of the full moon. I froze when I almost ran into a cow with a bull standing right beside it!!! I knew I wasn't far from the fence so I steadied my nerves, realizing that if he sensed that I was afraid, he'd react. A second bull was a bit farther away, closer to the fence. Phew! Made it through unscathed. Then back on a rough road, with large palm and ficus trees looming overhead. In about 15 minutes we came to a junction, which I wasn't sure about. When Case turned on his phone and it wasn't loading, I was getting more anxious again. After a few long minutes, Gaia did load and we were on our way, back in the dark and arrived within 10 minutes at the car where Alfredo was waiting.
May 5 - San Sebastian Del Oeste tour
The El Progreso bridge was built about 4 years ago. It cuts off a 4-hour detour route.
How does that girl manage to handle the pure corn tortillas without burning her fingers?
A stop at a tequilla distillery. They harvest the blue agave plant's bulbs (called pina) in 7-9 years. Then the sealed charcoal, clay oven roasts the cones for 2 days at 1000C! Next comes the 1-week forementing process and finally they distill it twice.
1) Tiger Lily 2) Bougainvillia 4) Hibiscus
We made a third stop at the opal store. Our guide, Carlos explained that mainly two countries manufacture opal: Australia provides 70% and Mexico 9%. But Mexico's opals are harder because the stone is formed by rain water whereas Australia's is formed by ocean water. Also, Mexico has 25 different colours via Australia which has only two.
White oak trees lines the road by the entrance to the village.
At the 1500m high historic mining town of San Sebastian dates back to 1605. The buildings have a Spanish influence with high large windows to keep the rooms light and allow for good airflow which was better for storing produce. The cobblestone streets were built for wagons.
The San Sebastian church was built 1871-1872. Its archtecture is neoclassical, and its ornate detail is baroque.
Most towns have a gazebo built within a block of the church.
May 6 - Saturday
Some interesting specimens washed up on the beach this day.
"Ready, set, go!"
1) This dead fish looked like it had teeth. 2) Egret
These pelicans were waiting for handouts from the fishermen.
Rythms of the Night Tour
We had to laugh so hard when some of the crew came up and as the captain introduced them, they did a bit of "suggestive" dancing. Lara's eyes were almost popping out of her head! The 45-minute boat ride across Banderas Bay and the margaritas & beer made for a relaxed festive atmosphere.
Arrived at twi-light at the secluded Las Caletas Bay, which is only accessable by boat.
As soon as we set foot on land, magical and fantasy were there to meet us.
There was no electricity so everything was lit by candlelight.
We had VIP tickets, so front seats. The performance was by Cirque du Soliel and was amazing!!! This show celebrated our spiritual connection to animals and nature.
May 7 - Sunday
Case & I took a taxi to the touristy coastal town of Sayvlita. We had to walk through this cemetery to get to Beach of the Dead.
Remains of a house.
This was one of the few tombs with fresh flowers.
This town had alot of foreigners parading its streets. Unlike our resort where the majority of its guests were Mexican.
Love the colors.
Shopping just wasn't going to happen with Case. We did have a good walk, got some pics and had a delicious lunch.
May 8 - Monday
As our holiday drew to a close, I asked Lara, "So what was your favorite thing about this trip?"
She answered promptly, "The swimming! And the tour (Rythms of the Night) and the plants." A slight pause and then, "And the virign margaritas!"
May 9 - Tuesday
Almost landed in our dense green Vancouver, BC.
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